Chris Rutkowski

Background

Chris Rutkowski is Canada's preeminent UFO/UAP researcher and science educator, holding degrees in astronomy and science education with specialization in astronomical science. Since the mid-1970s—over 45 years—he has systematically studied and documented reports of unidentified aerial phenomena across Canada, establishing himself as the country's foremost authority on civilian UFO sightings.

UFOROM and the Canadian UFO Survey

In 1989, Rutkowski founded Ufology Research (formerly known as Ufology Research of Manitoba, or UFOROM), a Manitoba-based research organization dedicated to soliciting, cataloguing, and analyzing UFO sighting reports from Canadian witnesses and researchers. Over the past 36 years, UFOROM has compiled a database of more than 26,000 documented UFO reports from across Canada. Each year, Rutkowski publishes the Canadian UFO Survey, the definitive annual compilation of sightings, which collects data through witness reports, researcher submissions, and systematic data mining of public sources. The 2025 Canadian UFO Survey, compiled by Rutkowski with colleagues Geoff Ditmann and Leanne Sallenback, documented 1,052 sightings in Canada alone—approximately one report every eight hours.

Government Recognition and Official Role

Rutkowski's work has achieved unprecedented institutional recognition within Canada. The Canadian Armed Forces and the government of Canada officially designate him as the civilian point person for UFO documentation. According to established Canadian military procedures, all UFO sightings are formally referred to Chris Rutkowski for investigation and cataloguing. He has received direct reports from Royal Canadian Air Force personnel, Transport Canada officials, and other government bodies, making him an official intermediary between the Canadian public and its defense establishment.

Publications and Scientific Contributions

Rutkowski is the author or co-author of more than ten books examining UFO phenomena and related subjects. His published works include Unnatural History (1993), Abductions and Aliens (1999), A World of UFOs (2008), I Saw It Too! (a children's educational book, 2009), The Big Book of UFOs (2010), When They Appeared (2017, co-authored with Stan Michalak), and most notably Canada's UFOs: Declassified (2021), which documents remarkable cases investigated by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Royal Canadian Air Force, and the National Research Council of Canada. His research has been published in peer-reviewed scientific journals, and he regularly presents at international UFO conferences and symposia.

Professional Credentials

Rutkowski served as past-president of the Winnipeg Centre of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, a position reflecting his standing in the broader scientific community. He is a consultant to the Center for UFO Studies (CUFOS), the leading American UFO research organization, and is widely recognized as a science writer and educator specializing in astronomy and space sciences.